2012-02-11T22:18:08Z http://marissacrean.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast tag:www.marissacrean.com,2010-08-22:4c76fbd7-aab5-4412-9c03-9b4078e89ec7 Marissa Crean 2010-08-22T17:43:00Z 2010-08-22T17:43:00Z Last week, I went to a happy hour that was organized for one of our interns, marking the end of his internship. I couldn't help but think what a nice gesture this was for his managers and the entire team that he worked with to want to celebrate his contribution this summer. With this simple gesture, they demonstrated how much they cared, which is a critical ingredient of authentic leadership. August marks the end of our summer internship program. It's sad to see these talented young people move on as we have ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2010-05-18:3cb647ad-e591-4aa6-967a-974ac69626fa Marissa Crean 2010-05-18T17:54:00Z 2010-05-18T17:54:00Z I am happy to say that I work for leaders who believe in the value of independent thinking, but also consensus decisions. Currently, I am working through a critical decision that involves several different individuals' opinions. It is rewarding to know that the discussion is focused on what is the right thing to do, not just for this particular situation and it's extenuating circumstances, but to take into consideration the impact on peer employees, and the future impact of the decision. One leader actually deleted my voice mail so that he could ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2009-04-03:798b3606-3bbb-497a-8bad-4dd46b690a23 Marissa Crean 2009-04-04T02:11:00Z 2009-04-04T02:11:00Z Do you find yourself concerned about job security lately? Many people do, and they look to their manager for guidance and assurance. Typically a manager's best advice is to focus on immediate responsibilities and quality in execution. Lately, I've been wondering what does that really mean? I desperately needed an attitude adjustment -- and then one came my way!I was attending a webinar sponsored by Monster.com on the topic of Gen Y. That's where I picked up this interesting perspective on working successfully all the time, and it applies in nearly every situation! The simple ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2009-03-10:f7074a7c-8dd3-4f56-8fa0-d02fec4e9ee0 Marissa Crean 2009-03-10T16:45:00Z 2009-03-10T16:45:00Z The holly berry is the fruit of the holly bush and an important source of sustenance for many types of birds. A holly bush is an attractive and lush shrub with dark green leaves. However, if you reach inside this bush to pick one of the holly berries, you will most likely be met with a painful scratch, as the beautiful leaves are also quite spiny and sharp. What an interesting metaphor for life! Christopher Nolan, who recently passed away, was a gifted young man who suffered from cerebral palsy his entire life. ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2009-02-14:049e512d-0625-48c4-89d1-1823c5432fd9 Marissa Crean 2009-02-14T17:24:00Z 2009-02-14T17:24:00Z I have been wondering about "Abundance" lately. We all define it differently and it has many components, but I have been particularly focused on career abundance. What kind of job do we need to have in order to feel abundant? For those of us in the finance industry, the dream job was "Investment Banker" on Wall Street. Along with exciting work, prestige, extravagant expense accounts, and mega bonuses were the rewards for the fortunate few who could land these jobs. This is all past tense, at least for the near future.Now what becomes the new dream ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2009-02-13:c0990da3-4809-4146-aee5-a7e1d1e1ed7f Marissa Crean 2009-02-14T01:02:00Z 2009-02-14T01:02:00Z I was reminded today of how hard it is to be who we want to be. First we must free our minds, heart and soul to dream the new being. Then we have to believe we can be this dream. And finally we have to craft a plan to become this dream. For many, the most difficult step is the second one - believing we can be the dream - because we allow our fears to get in the way. It doesn't matter what or why we fear, if we allow the fear to have ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2009-01-27:f21a8364-933c-411c-8067-7539b12d9461 Marissa Crean 2009-01-27T20:19:38Z 2009-01-27T20:19:38Z A colleague shared this thought with me today -- Sometimes it's really valuable to have a trusted friend within your organization that you can sound off to. We all have those moments, and sometimes days, when we don't like what we are doing or who we are working with. It's so nice to have someone that you can complain to that "gets it." Usually, your issue is temporary and doesn't need to be radically changed. A contact within the organization can truly sympathize. Why not your manager? Well, maybe it's your manager that you ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2008-08-19:7a48786c-1e39-43c4-974f-e75abf86ef53 Marissa Crean 2008-08-19T14:37:00Z 2008-08-19T14:37:00Z The other day a colleague came to me looking for advice and support with addressing the stressful situation at work that she was experiencing. She came prepared with a logical solution, a quick answer to her problems, the shortest distance to travel, so to speak. Unfortunately, because she was so deep into the situation, she couldn't see that her solution would have a negative impact on her career. It's really tempting to take the shortest route, the shortcut approach, the easiest solution, when you are deep into a stressful situation. But before you do that, I ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2008-08-19:570a65ab-bd82-43ec-9d76-0568526cc5e8 Marissa Crean 2008-08-19T14:17:00Z 2008-08-19T14:17:00Z My internet horoscope this morning said something about "today is the day to tackle my to do list." My reaction was fairly neutral -- "Really? Why today of all days?"I don't even have a true "to do list" - but I know what needs to get done and I store that list deep in the pockets of my brain. My horoscope made me think about my list, and I quickly (like in seconds) realized that it is getting kind of long. So, I started to move a little more quickly -- make the bed, get dressed, ... tag:www.marissacrean.com,2008-07-26:c82f615e-b75b-4a9f-a55e-516c4f4371e2 Marissa Crean 2008-07-26T13:41:00Z 2008-07-26T13:41:00Z I saw a "great" job advertisement the other day at Burger King. Yes, Burger King. It was simple and direct: Hiring Great Managers. There it was on that big sign outside the building. Three simple words. To the point. I immediately saw how they were clearly requesting that "great managers" need only apply. "Average" and "Poor" managers -- don't waste your time. (Of course, they will, but that's a problem for another time.)Assuming an applicant actually reads the sign before applying, it will take some confidence and belief in themselves that ...